The US is far from returning to the moon. In a few weeks, for the first time in more than 50 years, a North American spacecraft will attempt to reach the lunar surface. An important milestone that will be responsible for the module. Pilgrimfrom company Astrobotic. The private effort is part of preparations for the Artemis program, which hopes to fly astronauts to Earth’s natural satellite in 2025.
Of course, we are talking about an unmanned mission, but one with undeniable historical significance. If Astrobotic achieves its goal and successfully lands on the Moon, This will be the first private company to achieve this result.. It’s true that Israeli Beresheet demonstrator from IAI tried it in 2019, but ended up crashing into the surface due to a technical glitch. Peregrine will carry more than twenty payloads to the Moon, some of which will be experiments and technologies from NASA’s CLPS program.
If all goes according to plan, the US will return to the moon next January 25. Since late October, Sapsan has been in Cape Canaveral, Florida, awaiting launch into space. The Astrobotic module will go on its first spacecraft flight Vulcan Centaura new rocket from ULA, an alliance of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
It is curious that almost a whole month will pass between the takeoff of the Vulcan Centaur and the attempt to land the Sapsan on the Moon. Launch scheduled for next December 24. The spacecraft will then travel for several days until it reaches lunar orbit, although the main delay before reaching the surface will be ensuring optimal lighting conditions at the chosen landing site.
Astrobotic mission plays critical role in US return to the Moon
The United States is closely monitoring everything that happens with the Astrobotic mission and the Peregrine module on the Moon. Not only because of the importance of the Artemis program for the future, but also because of the restoration of its place in the field of exploration of our natural satellite.
In recent years, other countries such as China and India have successfully reached the moon, and the United States doesn’t want to be left behind. Let’s not forget that Americans They have not returned to the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in December 1972.. All subsequent missions were carried out with orbiters or probes flying close to the satellite.
Astrobotic understands the importance of this mission. The company intends to conduct fully automated soft landing; that is, without human intervention from Earth. Peregrine will reach the Gruithusen Domes, which the US space agency has called a “geological mystery” on the Moon. There the module will carry out its work for 10 days.
John Thornton, the CEO of the North American company, was excited, although somewhat intimidated, by the importance of this mission. “One of the biggest challenges of what we’re trying to do here is to accomplish launch and landing for a fraction of what it would otherwise cost. Only about half of the missions sent to the lunar surface were successful. “So it’s definitely a challenge. I’ll be scared and excited at the same time every step of the way,” he said this week.
But not all of the effort to return America to the moon after 50 years of success falls on Astrobotic and Peregrine. Vulcan Centaur will also have to contribute after several years of delays and inconveniences caused mainly BE-4 engines developed by Blue Origin. The rocket, which aims to replace the Delta IV Heavy and the historic Atlas V, was scheduled to fly for the first time in 2019.
Source: Hiper Textual
